Tablet crusher



July- 3, 1952 I J. E. JONES ET AL 2,602,596

TABLET CRUS'HER Filed April 24, 1951 Fig. i

I-a-Z 6, 2 26 Illlllllillll 24 I} I 20 9 i0 INVENTORS JAMES E.Jous a ERMA J. Jones m' Wfimmau; M72202 4 A9 ATTORXELS Patented July 8, 1952 an Jan esEarl J ones and Erma J ane -J ones, Barlgland, Wash.

' e g g i at i finr l 24, 1951, e a 15101223576" c 1- I This invention appertainsto improvementsin tablet crushers, which are used to crush medicinal tablets so-that they: may: be easily swallowed h more completely" andspeed'ilydissolved ini'iq iidz- Y Apri-inary object of this 'inventioni'sto provide a maiiandefii'cient crusher, which can be easily carried in a pocket andfwhichjcan be used' as a receptaclefor pills and a drinkingvessel for drinking pills; after the pills have "been 'mix ed withaQflllidi 7 Another 'ob'ject ofthis invention is to provide a sanitary tablet crusher, whereby tablet'slmay be completely crushed into an easily dis s'olvable powder'withoi t losing any o'f -'th 'tablets;and without touching, the tablets with the hands,

' h an an i ob c s" a d. t c ura features of merit are, attained by this invention, the preferred; embodimentof which is set forth in the following description and illi strat'ed in the accompanying drawingwhereinz F ure Us a p i eY W-of he t l in. accordance with the crusher, constructed prin iples. or. this invention; a Figure 2 is a longitudinal" vertical sectional view, on. an enlargedhscale taken on line '2-2 of Figurelj Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2; and,

Figure 4 is anIe'xploded: perspective view of the Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the. tablet crusher l includes a cylindrical body member l2, which'is preferably formedlfrom a thermo-setting plastic materialior, orcourse, canlbe formed from'ianyother material. The cylindrical body member includes first-int'ernally threaded open end-I l' and anopposihg seminar-ma threaded end lli. Y 7 T "A solid cylindrical pulverizi g barrel or 'crusher 7 em r IE is-disposed through'tli'e end Mao'f'the body member and is formed; with: a smooth surface 20,, engageable with thesmooth inner wall 22,,of the center portion ofo'theibodyrmember. LThe endizfl' 0f the crusherm ember isjex teriorly threaded and" the threads are'threadingly engaged with the threads on the end I4 of the body member. A flat head 26 is formed on the threaded end of the crusher member and the underside thereof is engaged on the flat edge of the end of the body member.

A cap 28 forms the bottom wall of the cylindrical member and includes an outer portion 30 and an axially reduced inner portion 32, which is disposed within the end l6 of the body member.

2 el ims i (01. 24 1- 168) The endf30 iszformed with a fiat shoulder, which is engageablewith the flat edge of the end IB 01' the body memberand which defines the reduced portion 32 "or the cap! The reduoed portion of the cap is formed with a threaded periphery 36; which is engageable with thethreads on; the end lfiofthebod'ymember. The fac'e'o'f the portion of'the cap -is-=f'ormed with a flat periphery 38 and' a concavecenter portion; orwell 4 0 which complementaryto a convex protuberance; 42, forme'd on the end offthe crusher member. 7 The-protuberance is formed on the 611d" of the crusher member; sotliat the outer edges thereof are spacedinwardly frorrrtlie side-wall of the crusher i'i'iember 'to defin e 'a flat periphery '38 of the cap member.

.s'houlder 4f4, which is adapted; ta s tft t flat v In use, tablets as are disposed in the w l -IQ, y: e o in e cap 2.8 and ngf l a e s in the well and, thereafter, securing the cap' to the end [6; of the body'member; The crusher member is then rotated within the bpldfp member, the threaded portion 24 engagingt'the threaded end Man'd th jp o u a c O kn b Afi' co: operative with the wall of, the well 4 0 to grindithe tablets intoafinepowder. V. i v

cap 28; may t n be uns rewedl rom the body member, with the powdered or crushed R 8 in the well and the cap member may then' nausea as a receptacle to transport '1;hec' r.11shedtablets to-thebedsideof ap'ati'ent orthe like} V f 1 Also, the body member may be us; d as. a drink: ing vessel, by entirely unscrewing, the crusher member leaving the, crushed pills iii thewell- '40. A liquid is then poured into the bodymember onto the cap 28 to dissolve the powderedtable'ts. "Of course, the tablets 46 may be easily carried in the body member, with the crusher member disposedin a spaced relation with the cap memher, as illustrated in Figure 2. I

As will be noted from Figure 2, the device constituting the present invention is so designed as to constitute, in the assembled relation of its component parts, a compact, cylindrical assembly that will be sealed tightly at its opposite ends and.willbe'capable of being carried in ones pocket. In this connection, the construction'is one which is particularly adapted for use of the invention as a tablet container that can be used when one is, for example, away from home and is required, at periodic intervals during a day, to crush tablets and partake of the same, with the tablets being taken in a state in which they are either dissolved in water or washed down with water.

In this connection, the construction is one wherein the body member is of constant inner diameter from end to end thereof, and is formed open at its opposite ends, with internal threads being provided at said opposite ends. The cap member 28, as will be noted, is of generally disclike configuration, and is so connected to one end of the body member as to cooperate with the body member indefining a receptacle which can be filled with water after the tablets 46 are crushed. It may be noted, in this regard, that the cap member is provided with a circumfer- F ential shoulder that will engage the adjacent end edge of the body member, so as to limit movement of the cap member inwardly of the body member.

At the same time, the crusher member is proportioned to a length approximating that of the body member, the crusher member having.

a smooth-surfaced portion for a substantial part of its length, with said smooth-surfaced portion being disposed in wiping contact with the inner surface of ,the side Wall of the body member. As :aresult, crushed tablets cannot enter the space between the crusher member side wall and the body member side wall. The crusher member, at one end, has a central protuberance complementingthe concavity of the cap member, with the concavity extending through substantially the full diameter of the inner end wall of the cap member; This construction causes the tablets to be properly centered preliminary to the crushing operation, andlprevents the tablets from escaping into recesses or the like. The crusher member, additionally, has at its other end .a circumferential shoulder that engages the body member to limit movement of the crusher member inwardly of the body member, the complem entary, inner end surfaces of the crusher and cap members being substantiallyin engagement when the shoulders of said members are in' engagement with the opposite ends of the bodymember.

p iThis provides for a highly compact assembly, which can'be operated by a user in a manner to hold the body member tightly closed, with a cavity being formed in the body member between the inner end surfaces of the crusher and cap members only'at such time as tablets are to be actually crushed. Further, the crusher member,

after the tablets have been crushed, can be removed entirely, and a cup-like receptacle results, intojwhich water can be poured directly 'upon the previously crushed tablets.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is: 31; A tablet crusher comprising a cylindrical body member constant in its inner diameter from end to end thereof and having opposing, open, internally threaded ends; a cap memberthreadingly disposed in one of said ends and closing the body member at said one end to ,form the body member into, a cup-like receptacle, said cap member defining a bottom for thereceptacle and having a flat inner wall formed with a center concavity extending through substantially the full diameter of said inner wall; and a cylindrical 4 crusher member having a smooth surfaced side wall for part of its length disposed in wiping contact with the side wall of the body member, the crusher member being threaded for the rest of its length and having its threaded portion engaged in the other end of the body member for movement of the crusher member axially of and within the body member, said prusher member having an inner end surfaceiformed with a center protuberance complementing 'saidi concavity.

2. A tablet crusher comprising a cylindrical, tubular body member constant in respect to the inner diameter thereof, said body member being formed open at its opposite ends and having internal threads at each of said ends; adisc-like cap member formed with external threads engageable with the threads of one end of the body member and including a circumferential shoulder engageable with one end edge of the body member to limit movement of the cap member, inwardly: of the body member,.said cap member having an inner end. surface provided with a center concavity extending through substantially the full diameter of said inner end surface; and a cylindrical crusher member formed to .a length approximating that-of ,the body member and having a constant-diameterside wall smoothsurfaced for a-substantial part' of its length and threaded for the rest of its length, the smoothsurfaced portion of the crusher member side wall being disposed in wiping contact with the side wall of the body member and the threaded portionof the crusher member side Wall being engaged with the threads of the other end of the body member, said crusher member having an innerend surface formed with a central convexityv complementing said concavity'and having, at its outer end, a circumferential shoulder engageable with the other. end edge of the body member to limit movement of thecrusher member inwardly of the body member, said crusher and cap members havingsaid inner end surfaces thereof substantially. in. engagement with one another in the body-member-engaging positions of their respective shoulders.

JAMES EARL JONES. ERMA JANE JONES.

REFERENCES orrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Aug. 2, 1937 

